We just returned from Yosemite National Park. If you have ever been to this park you know what a natural wonder it is. If you have been there in April or May when snow melt is roaring off the soaring cliffs you know you have been to a very special place. There has been an abundance of snow this year in California so we definitely wanted to make the 4 hour trek down to the park from Sacramento this year! We booked a room at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal, CA. We find out a few days before we go that, according to some vacationers on Yelp.com, its other name is the Murder Lodge. Huh? That does not sound good. I guess 10 years ago a serial killer handyman was prowling the ole Cedar Lodge. EXCELLENT. Ha. Score! …………Creepy eh? I will say the place was a little odd but was nice enough. No cell phone reception I might add…… if you get into a little trouble. Ha. Ha.

Our first full day we planned to attack the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. This is one of the more difficult trails in the park. At the base of trail it states VERY STRENUOUS and the like. I always tend to drop that rating down a notch as they want to OVER warn you. In this case, they were NOT embellishing. It was straight up and rocky as hell but the views were absolutely stunning.

We did not quite make it to the top but still did well nevertheless. We hit snow at about 5,000 feet and the view of Yosemite Falls was incredible from this part of the trail. We decided to make the trek back down at this point as I wanted to be ready for the Mist Trail the following day. I did not want to be too jacked to tackle the Mist Trail, my favorite trail in the park.

The Mist Trail is aptly namely for its water qualities stemming from Vernal Falls on the Merced River. This is a dicey hike as well with wet rocks and steep climbs. We stormed to the top and hung by the Emerald Pool that looms over this magnificent waterfall. If you want to feel like Froto from the Lord of The Rings trilogy without having to fly to New Zealand, this is the trail you take in the United States! Water, grottos, ferns, water, rocks, and more water. The best hiking trail I have ever been on and that includes the Hawaiian Islands. A VIDEO OF YOSEMITE VALLEY:

3 responses to “Yosemite and the Murder Lodge”

The killer was actually an employee of the lodge and preyed on 3 women from SF staying there. He simply knocked on their door, told them there was something he needed to fix inside, then raped and killed them. He also beheaded a young woman living in Foresta. A sad story and a lesson for the rest of us.